Oksana Yoga Flow

09/21/2024

09/17/2024

Menopause is an invitation to get to know ourselves better and upgrade our physical, mental and emotional selves to the best version possible.
Yoga is a tool we can use to understand and manage the typical symptoms associated with menopause such as stress, physical pain, mood swings or trouble sleeping. As women transition through menopause they may need different yoga practices in different moments. There is yoga for rest and restoration, yoga to release tension and meno-rage, and yoga to reenergize, rebuild strength and bone density. Menopause Yoga can support our endocrine system, balance our hormones, and relieve menopause symptoms.

09/16/2024

A bunion is an all-too-common foot problem that can easily develop into a painful deformity if left unchecked.
A few warm-ups and exercises for the feet, along with targeted yoga poses, can slow the progression of bunions.
The toe exercises are particularly effective and important to practice in the standing poses of hatha yoga. Asanas in which the ankle is neutral, such as the front foot in bent-leg poses like Warrior 1, Warrior 2 and Side Angle poses, provide the best opportunity for effective work.
In standing poses in which the front knee is bent, such as in the warrior poses, keep your front shin vertical and ground your weight in the center of your heel as you practice lifting, spreading, and extending through your big and little toe.
This strengthens the arches at the inner and outer edges of the foot and realigns your toes.
Standing poses in which the front ankle is extended, such as the front foot in triangle pose and angle pose, also challenge you to ground and extend through the big toe, since you have to reach more strongly through the big toe while keeping the mound of the toe grounded.
Poses in which you balance on one leg, such as Half-moon pose, are the most challenging. The bunion makes the foot very unstable and wobbly, and thus we often lock the knee to stabilize the posture—and avoid the needed work in the foot. Instead of succumbing to this habit, practice keeping a microbend in your knee and lift your toes to shift your weight back onto the heel.
Downward-facing dog allows you to work strongly with the lift of the arch as you spread and extend through the toes. As always, keep a microbend in your knees to prevent them from locking, and keep your heels hovering above the ground.
Upward-facing dog or cobra pose stretches the fronts of your ankles and strengthens the toe extensors, especially if you reach straight back through your big toes while also bringing your little toes down toward the floor.
Bridge pose strongly works the arches and toes as long as you keep your thighs and feet parallel.
Seated forward bends provide an opportunity to work the feet without experiencing the painful consequences of bearing weight on a bunion.